With the introduction of data protection regulation in various countries, traditional centralized learning for the exploitation of sensitive biological information will gradually become ...unsustainable. We take face and speaker recognition systems as examples, to consider the possibility of implementing them using federated learning. It is known that federated learning methods still have some issues to be solved, e.g., parameter updates delivered can still reveal user privacy. Besides, existing privacy-preserving methods such as encryption and perturbation could pose other problems, including low accuracy and high training overhead, which can be more prominent in biometric recognition scenarios. We adopt the idea of domain adaptation and propose a new federated learning framework, DAFL, focusing on the improvement of the training efficiency and model performance, to achieve a practical privacy-preserving biometric recognition scheme for the first time. We also design a special dropout method for it to address the possible imbalance of biometric samples across users. Experiments on real-world datasets show that our approach can achieve up to 95.6% and 97.9% accuracy in face recognition and speaker recognition tasks, respectively, under medium privacy settings. Compared with existing work, it can save 56.0% of training time with a 3.1% accuracy loss in the best case.
•Proposal of DAFL, to provide the basis of a practical biometrics Federated Learning approach.•Proposal of MinDropout, to address the problem of label imbalance in biometric identification systems during training.•Demonstration of the significant effectiveness of dropout and domain adaptation on saving privacy budget.•Several experimental comparisons on real-world datasets.
In order to reduce the pollution caused by coal-fired generating units during the heating season, and promote the wind power accommodation, an electrical and thermal system dispatch model based on ...combined heat and power (CHP) with thermal energy storage (TES) and demand response (DR) is proposed. In this model, the emission cost of CO2, SO2, NOx, and the operation cost of desulfurization and denitrification units is considered as environmental cost, which will increase the proportion of the fuel cost in an economic dispatch model. Meanwhile, the fuel cost of generating units, the operation cost and investment cost of thermal energy storage and electrical energy storage, the incentive cost of DR, and the cost of wind curtailment are comprehensively considered in this dispatch model. Then, on the promise of satisfying the load demand, taking the minimum total cost as an objective function, the power of each unit is optimized by a genetic algorithm. Compared with the traditional dispatch model, in which the environmental cost is not considered, the numerical results show that the daily average emissions CO2, SO2, NOx, are decreased by 14,354.35 kg, 55.5 kg, and 47.15 kg, respectively, and the wind power accommodation is increased by an average of 6.56% in a week.
Responsive systems sensitive to near-infrared (NIR) light are promising for triggered release due to efficient deep tissue penetration of NIR irradiation relative to higher energy sources (
, UV), ...allowing for spatiotemporal control over triggering events with minimal potential for tissue damage. Herein, we report star polymers containing thermally-labile azo linkages that dissociate during conventional heating or during localized heating
the photothermal effect upon NIR irradiation. Controlled release during conventional heating was investigated for the star polymers loaded with a model dye, with negligible release being observed at 25 °C and >80% release at 90 °C. Star polymers co-loaded with NIR-responsive indocyanine green showed rapid dye release upon NIR irradiation (
≥ 715 nm) due to the photothermally-induced degradation of azo linkages within the cores of the star polymers. This approach provides access to a new class of delivery and release systems that can be triggered by noninvasive external stimulation.
Mammary and extramammary Paget's Diseases (PD) are a malignant skin cancer characterized by the appearance of Paget cells. Although easily diagnosed, its pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, ...single-cell RNA-sequencing identified distinct cellular states, novel biomarkers, and signaling pathways - including mTOR, associated with extramammary PD. Interestingly, we identified MSI1 ectopic overexpression in basal epithelial cells of human PD skin, and show that Msi1 overexpression in the epidermal basal layer of mice phenocopies human PD at histopathological, single-cell and molecular levels. Using this mouse model, we identified novel biomarkers of Paget-like cells that translated to human Paget cells. Furthermore, single-cell trajectory, RNA velocity and lineage-tracing analyses revealed a putative keratinocyte-to-Paget-like cell conversion, supporting the in situ transformation theory of disease pathogenesis. Mechanistically, the Msi1-mTOR pathway drives keratinocyte-Paget-like cell conversion, and suppression of mTOR signaling with Rapamycin significantly rescued the Paget-like phenotype in Msi1-overexpressing transgenic mice. Topical Rapamycin treatment improved extramammary PD-associated symptoms in humans, suggesting mTOR inhibition as a novel therapeutic treatment in PD.
Saikosaponin A (SSA) has been revealed to have anti‐breast cancer (BC) effect. However, the association between SSA and BC glycolysis is obscure. We want to probe the function and mechanism of SSA on ...BC glycolysis. Kaplan–Meier plotter revealed the relationship between STAT3 and the survival curve of BC. The protein kinase B (Akt)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway and the viability in cells treated with or without 0, 5, 10, and 15 μM SSA were assessed by Western blot and cell counting kit‐8. The biological behaviors, lactate, and ATP contents, glucose uptake, and Akt/STAT3 pathway‐related markers in BC cells treated with colivelin or SSA were evaluated using cell function experiments, kit, and Western blot. Then, the impacts of colivelin and SSA on BC cells were tested again. The overexpressions of p‐STAT3 and p‐Akt in BC cells were weakened by 5, 10, and 15 μM SSA. Colivelin boosted the BC cell viability and proliferation and impeded apoptosis, while SSA did the opposite. Meanwhile, colivelin intensified lactate and ATP contents, glucose uptake, and Akt/STAT3 pathway‐related markers level in BC cells, while SSA was the opposite. The modulation of SSA on the biological behavior, lactate and ATP productions, glucose uptake, and Akt/STAT3 pathway was rescued by colivelin. Our research unveiled new insights into SSA as a valuable candidate therapeutic agent for weakening glycolysis, and protruded the Akt/STAT3 pathway as a latent molecular target for SSA and glycolysis modulation.
Our research unveiled new insights into SSA as a valuable candidate therapeutic agent for weakening glycolysis, and protruded the Akt/STAT3 pathway as a latent molecular target for SSA and glycolysis modulation.
The biomechanical environment plays a dominant role in fracture healing, and Piezo1 is regarded as a major mechanosensor in bone homeostasis. However, the role of Piezo1 in fracture healing is not ...yet well characterized. In this study, we first delineated that Piezo1 is highly expressed in periosteal stem cells (PSCs) and their derived osteoblastic lineage cells and chondrocytes. Furthermore, downregulation of Piezo1 in callus leads to impaired fracture healing, while activation by its specific agonist promotes fracture healing through stimulation of PSC-modulated chondrogenesis and osteogenesis, along with accelerated cartilage-to-bone transformation. Interestingly, vascular endothelial growth factor A is upregulated after Yoda1 treatment of PSCs, indicating an indirect role of Piezo1 in angiogenesis. Mechanistically, activation of Piezo1 promotes expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP) and its nuclear localization in PSCs, which in turn increases the expression and nuclear localization of β-catenin. In detail, YAP directly interacts with β-catenin in the nucleus and forms a transcriptional YAP/β-catenin complex, which upregulates osteogenic, chondrogenic and angiogenic factors. Lastly, Yoda1 treatment significantly improves fracture healing in a delayed union mouse model generated by tail suspension. These findings indicate that Piezo1 is a potential therapeutic target for fracture delayed union or nonunion.
Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, has experienced a large decrease in wetland area due to long-term overutilization and especially after the hydrological drought events from 2003. ...This outdoor study was conducted to elucidate the impacts of drought and high concentrations of N on Vallisneria spinulosa. Compared with the 60 cm water depth, the 30 cm water depth caused no difference except lower leaf weight and greater winter bud number per plant growing in the sediment from Poyang Lake. After 400 mg/L NH
4
+
-N was added to the sediment, the leaf weight, root weight, root length, winter bud number, ramet number and stolon weight of V. spinulosa declined greatly. The high NH
4
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-N content in sediment increased the influence of low water depth on V. spinulosa expressed as the relatively light fresh weight per winter bud of 0.11 g. The results indicated that both a low water depth in spring and high N concentration impacted V. spinulosa and the high concentration of NH
4
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-N limited the adaptation of V. spinulosa to the decline in water depths. Thus, besides water-level management, nutrient control is also required to protect and restore aquatic macrophytes in Poyang Lake.
Currently, private data leakage and nonlinear classification are two challenges encountered in big data mining. In particular, few studies focus on these issues in support vector machines (SVMs). In ...this paper, to effectively solve them, we propose a novel framework based on the concepts of differential privacy (DP) and kernel functions. This framework can allocate privacy budgets and add artificial noise to different SVM locations simultaneously, which makes the perturbation process freer and more delicate. In addition, under this framework, we propose three algorithms, DP SVMs that perturb the training data set, perturb the kernel function, and utilize mixed perturbation (DPSVM-TDP, DPSVM-KFP, and DPSVM-MP, respectively), all of which can realize accurate classification while ensuring that the users’ privacy is not violated. Moreover, we conduct privacy analysis on these algorithms and prove that they all satisfy ε,0−DP. Finally, we conduct experiments to evaluate the algorithms in terms of different aspects and compare them with the DPSVM with dual-variable perturbation (DVP) algorithm (DPSVM-DVP) to determine the optimal perturbation method. The results show that DPSVM-KFP can achieve the highest data utility and strictest privacy protection with the shortest running time.
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) transformation serves as a significant mechanism of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth ...factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. To address this clinical challenge, we conducted a retrospective analysis at Zhejiang University School of Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital, focusing on patients with EGFR sensitizing mutations.
A total of 1012 cases were included in this retrospective analysis. The cohort primarily consisted of patients with EGFR sensitizing mutations. Biopsy-confirmed small cell transformation was observed in seven patients, accounting for 0.7% of the cases. All patients in this subset were initially diagnosed with stage IV adenocarcinoma (ADC), with four cases classified as poorly differentiated and three as moderately to poorly differentiated ADC. EGFR exon 19 deletions were identified in five of these cases. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on seven cases, revealing mutations in the tumor protein p53 (TP53) gene in four cases and loss of the retinoblastoma1 (RB1) gene in three cases.
The median duration from the initial diagnosis to small cell transformation was 35.9 months (interquartile range: 12.1-84 months). Following small cell transformation during EGFR inhibition, all patients received etoposide/platinum-based treatment, leading to a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 4.7 months (interquartile range: 2.7-10.1 months). Notably, most patients in this series had poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas at the outset. TP53 mutations and RB1 loss were common genetic alterations observed in patients with small cell transformation in this cohort.
The findings underscore the clinical significance of SCLC transformation as a resistance mechanism to EGFR TKIs in NSCLC with EGFR mutations. The observed genetic alterations, including TP53 mutations and RB1 loss, suggest potential associations with the transformation process and warrant further investigation. Understanding the genetic landscape and clinical outcomes in patients experiencing small cell transformation can contribute to improved strategies for managing resistance in EGFR-mutant NSCLC.
Disuse osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass caused by abnormal mechanical stimulation of bone. Piezo1 is a major mechanosensitive ion channel in bone homeostasis. However, whether ...intervening in the action of Piezo1 can rescue disuse osteoporosis remains unresolved. In this study, a commonly-used hindlimb-unloading model is employed to simulate microgravity. By single-cell RNA sequencing, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are the most downregulated cell cluster, and coincidentally, Piezo1 expression is mostly enriched in those cells, and is substantially downregulated by unloading. Importantly, activation of Piezo1 by systemically-introducing yoda1 mimics the effects of mechanical stimulation and thus ameliorates bone loss under simulated microgravity. Mechanistically, Piezo1 activation promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of Gli1+ BMSCs by activating the β-catenin and its target gene activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Inhibiting β-catenin expression substantially attenuates the effect of yoda1 on bone loss, possibly due to inhibited proliferation and osteogenic differentiation capability of Gli1+ BMSCs mediated by ATF4. Lastly, Piezo1 activation also slightly alleviates the osteoporosis of OVX and aged mice. In conclusion, impaired function of Piezo1 in BMSCs leads to insufficient bone formation especially caused by abnormal mechanical stimuli, and is thus a potential therapeutic target for osteoporosis.
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